Consensus protocols ensure that data replicated across several nodes of a cluster of nodes remain in a consistent state and are widely used in distributed computing systems to achieve failure tolerance in clusters of computers. Each computing node in the cluster runs its own copy of a state machine. Consensus involves multiple nodes (e.g. servers, computing systems, data stores, etc.) being in agreement on data values. Once a consensus is reached, that decision is final. Each node in a cluster can include a computing system with one or more programmable processors implementing a state machine and a log. Consensus is typically reached when a quorum (e.g. a majority, a plurality, or some other definition etc.) of the nodes in the cluster decides to accept the new state of the system (e.g., adding new data to a database table, setting a value for a key in key value stores, accepting a message in messaging systems, etc.). The state of the state machine presented by the cluster is based on the consensus such that clients interacting with the cluster perceive them as a single state machine having a consistent state. A consensus algorithm can ensure that if any of the state machines in a cluster applies a particular command at a particular point in a series of commands, none of the other state machines in the cluster will apply a different command at that same point in the series of commands. Well-known examples of consensus protocols include Paxos and RAFT.